The present disclosure relates to rear bumper assemblies, and particularly relates to a rear bumper assembly having a step garnish with integrally molded or formed structures that are received through apertures defined in the bumper for carrying a wire harness.
In vehicles having a rear tailgate, such as minivans, sport utility vehicles and the like, the rear bumper is disposed rearwardly and slightly below the rear tailgate. Garnish or trim plates are sometimes secured to the bumper for improving the aesthetics of the bumper and/or the functionality of the bumper. For example, a step garnish or cover plate can be secured to an upper side of the rear bumper for providing a clean, durable, non-slip surface on the upper side of the bumper. A skid garnish can also be secured to the bumper, usually at a lower back portion of the bumper and extending to an underside of the bumper.
More recently, an increasing number of vehicle components are housed or disposed within vehicle bumper assemblies. For example, components disposed within the bumper can include turn signals or flashers, parking lights, reverse lights, cameras, and sensors (e.g., distance sensors or corner sensor), etc. These components are typically wired to receive electrical power and can also be wired to send and/or receive electrical communications. A wire harness can be employed when two or more wires extend along a common path. One design consideration in bumper assemblies having such components involves determining how to support any wires or wire harnesses running through the bumper assembly to these components.
One known support structure for carrying a wire or wire harness is a clip. One or more clips can be provided inside the bumper assembly for carrying the wires or wire harness along the bumper assembly. In known bumper assemblies, the clips can be attached to the bumper by adhering a portion of the clip to an interior surface of the bumper. Alternatively, the clips can each be formed integrally with the bumper or secured within holes defined in the bumper. In some applications, a mounting structure is adhered to, integrally formed with, or secured in a hole of the bumper, and a corresponding clip is connected to the mounting structure.
When a hole is provided in the bumper for a clip or clip's mounting structure, the skid garnish can be used to overlay the hole and hide it from view. Likewise, when a clip or mounting structure is integrally formed with the bumper, the skid garnish can be used to overlay the exterior surface opposite the integrally formed clip or mounting structure to hide any sink marks formed in the bumper. While use of the skid garnish to hide cosmetic defects (i.e., holes or sink marks) in the bumper is effective, it limits the locations at which clips can be used to carry wires or wire harnesses in the bumper assembly. In particular, mounting locations are limited to areas covered by the skid garnish. The locations at which clips or mounting structures can be adhered to an interior surface of the bumper beam are not so limited, but adherence of each clip or mounting structure is laborious resulting in increased production costs for the vehicle.